Course, master’s level
15 credits
Malmö | daytime | 100%
9 November 2026 - 17 January 2027
Course code: BU608E

About the course

The course interrogates different classical and contemporary political theories and their various implications for education. A key aspect of this endeavor concerns investigating tensions between the formation of the individual and the formation of society. In the course we will meet twice on a weekly basis and each week we will tackle a new thinker and a new aspect of the core problem dealt with in this course. This problem can be summarized as follows: What makes society work and what role does education play in making society work?

This course is offered as part of programme:

Course content

The purpose of this course is for the student to develop a broad understanding of different central ethical theories and traditions. In addition, the purpose of the course is for the student to develop their ability to critically reflect on the ethical dimensions of education as well as on pedagogical dilemmas.

The course introduces central ethical traditions such as ethics of care, virtue ethics, utilitarianism and deontology. The course also encompasses opposing ideas on the relation between education and conceptions of human flourishing and the good life. In addition, epistemological and methodological approaches are discussed in relation to pedagogical dilemmas.

Entry requirements

Degree of Bachelor in education, social sciences or the humanities, and the equivalent of Swedish secondary school English 6

alternatively

A professional qualification specialising in teaching that comprises 180 credits, of which 15 credits from an independent project, and the equivalent of Swedish secondary school English 6

Course literature

Course evaluation

Malmö University provides students who participate in, or who have completed a course, with the opportunity to express their opinions and describe their experiences of the course by completing a course evaluation administered by the University. The University will compile and summarise the results of course evaluations. The University will also inform participants of the results and any decisions relating to measures taken in response to the course evaluations. The results will be made available to the students (HF 1:14).